Occurrence of Stolbur phytoplasma in the vector Hyalesthes obsoletus, herbaceous host plants and grapevine in South Tyrol (Northern Italy)

Bois noir (BN) is a grapevine yellows disease caused by a phytoplasma of the Stolbur group (16SrXII-A). The planthopper Hyalesthes obsoletus is known to be the principal vector and can accidentally transmit the phytoplasma from its herbaceous host plants to grapevine (Vitis vinifera). Due to the increasing incidence of BN over the last decade, a monitoring study was conducted in South Tyrol (Northern Italy). Over a period of up to four years, 659 insect vector samples, 516 herbaceous plants of 41 potential host plant species as well as 56 grapevine samples from BN-affected vineyards were tested for the presence of the Stolbur phytoplasma using a nested PCR procedure. In addition, a recently developed TaqMan allelic discrimination assay was employed to determine different subtypes of BN in infected samples. The Stolbur phytoplasma could be detected in all three sample types analysed, and was shown to belong to two different subtypes, VK type I and VK type II. In most vineyards one subtype was found to be predominant. The average infection rate of H. obsoletus amounted to 24.1 %. Analysis of herbaceous plants revealed that 25.1 % of the Convolvulus arvensis samples tested positive for the BN phytoplasma, as well as 4.5 % of the Urtica dioica samples. Taken together, our results underline the role of these two species commonly found in the undergrowth vegetation of South Tyrolean vineyards as an important reservoir of the Stolbur phytoplasma.

Barriers and enablers associated with participation in a home-based pragmatic exercise snacking program in older adults delivered and monitored by Amazon Alexa: A qualitative study

Background: ‘Exercise snacking’, which is characterised by shorter and more frequent exercise bouts compared with traditional exercise guidelines, may be an acceptable strategy for increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour in older adults. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the enablers and barriers for older adults associated with participation in a home-based exercise snacking program delivered and monitored using an Amazon Echo Show 5 device (Alexa). Methods: This study used an interpretive description qualitative design to conduct semi-structured interviews following a 12-week pilot study in 15 adults aged 60–89 years with at least one chronic condition. All participants were prescribed a home based, individualised, lower limb focussed ‘exercise snacking’ program (involving ≤ 10 min of bodyweight exercises 2–4 times per day) delivered and monitored by an Alexa. Qualitative interview data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: All 15 participants (mean age 70.3 years) attended the semi-structured interview. Themes including time efficiency, flexibility, perceived health benefits, and motivation were enablers for participation in the ‘exercise snacking’ program. A lack of upper body exercises and omission of exercise equipment in the program, as well as a lack of time and motivation for performing exercise snacks three or more times per day, were barriers to participation. Conclusion: While ‘exercise snacking’ is acceptable for older adults, future trials should provide equipment (e.g. adjustable dumbbells, exercise bands), prescribe whole-body exercise programs, and establish strategies to support participation in more than three exercise snacks per day

Klärung der Elternschaft der Apfelsorte ‘Meran’

n/

Testbeam and Laboratory Characterization of CMS 3D Pixel Sensors

The pixel detector is the innermost tracking device in CMS, reconstructing interaction vertices and charged particle trajectories. The sensors located in the innermost layers of the pixel detector must be upgraded for the ten-fold increase in luminosity expected with the High- Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) phase. As a possible replacement for planar sensors, 3D silicon technology is under consideration due to its good performance after high radiation fluence. In this paper, we report on pre- and post- irradiation measurements for CMS 3D pixel sensors with different electrode configurations. The effects of irradiation on electrical properties, charge collection efficiency, and position resolution of 3D sensors are discussed. Measurements of various test structures for monitoring the fabrication process and studying the bulk and surface properties, such as MOS capacitors, planar and gate-controlled diodes are also presented.Comment: 14 page